Greetings, From Hell
by Selumgirl
Summary: I couldn't let Buffy pay my bills anymore, so I didn't deny it. I hadn't summoned him, but I lied. It was my turn to save someone. And now I'm in a deep, deep mess. Guess it's just my luck. Greetings from hell, Dawn Summers... Give it a try! R&R please
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy TVS, Joss Whedon does (bless him)**

**This story has been torturing me for almost three years, so I finally decided to get off my butt (or, more accurately, get **_**on**_** my butt and off my back) and write this. I usually utilize fanfiction to entertain myself while I fall asleep at night or to tune out when I don't want to listen to class. So, if I'm doing this, it is because I think it's a truly good story.**

**I was so angry at blessed Joss at the end of the series because in my personal opinion, Dawn could have been a way deeper, cooler and incredibly complex character, but she wasn't…it felt to me like they were keeping her there after season 5 because they couldn't just pop her out…but they could have explored soo much more into her past and into the internal conflict of being a mystical key with a fake past! So, here goes nothin'!!**

**-**

Prologue

Greetings

I never was a very lucky girl. I was smart, yeah, but not particularly lucky. At least, that's what it felt like to me watching my older sister. I mean, everyone always made such a big deal out of her! Even when she messed up…Ok, I may be getting ahead of myself here so allow me to explain.

I admit, my life was plagued with weirdness. Meaning by that a sister who was "chosen" to be this new generation's slayer to save the world and kill vampires, a crush on a guy who was dating a thousand year-old ex-demon, two lesbian witches as friends and a mean vampire as a, well…I want to say friend but I'll go with acquaintance. Still, my biggest worry was to pass math and my biggest issue was my parents' divorce.

Then it happened. I found out it was a lie, all of it, and my world fell apart. Lucky I already had _some_ freakish stuff going on in my life, because if they had thrown that at me being a normal California girl whose biggest story to tell was that she's once seen the Backstreet Boys up close, I would have died… I mean literally collapsed and died right on the spot.

At the time, my mind went up, down and over so fast that the fist thing I could think of was proving to myself that it wasn't true, that I was human, a 14-year old normal girl with a not-so-normal life. So I cut myself. When I look back on it, I must have seemed like such a drama queen…ugh. I went all angst on life and run away from home and almost got myself killed by a freakish God girl. Buffy rescued me and there was some sweet moment here and there...whatever.

Buffy's little speech made me feel okay with myself for the night. After that so many overwhelming things happened together that I never had the chance to sit and think about it. I just went back to pretending everything was normal, that Buffy was my sister and the past I remembered was true.

Then Buffy died, and my world crumbled over me again, harder than ever. She had been the strength that kept me going, the one that kept the illusion alive…she made the entire make-believe seem real. Her…_my_ friends were sweet with me as ever, but after they found out about me they could never really treat me the same. There was always that linger in their glances, that undertone when they spoke about me, even if it was about simple stuff…that carefulness with which they spoke to me , always trying to avoid the topic, trying not to hurt my feelings.

Even today, I firmly maintain I should have been the one to jump. Buffy had already sacrificed too much for me…in fact; she had already sacrificed too much for everyone, too much for the world in general. But she did. She sacrificed her life for me, for her annoying younger sister, the one who isn't even real. And she was gone…

Everyone lamented Buffy's death. I understand how everyone felt. Xander and Willow, they were a mess; Buffy was their best friend and I can only imagine how hard it was for them. Tara loved Buffy in a different way; she was like a savior from her less-than-easy life. Giles thought of Buffy as a daughter, and cared for her as one, therefore he felt kind of responsible for what had happened to her…after all, she was his slayer, his responsibility. Spike. Of them all, I think he had the hardest hit. Spike- well- Spike loved Buffy, he had actually and honest-to-God fallen in love with his nemesis. I guess that proves you don't need a beating heart _or_ a soul to really fall in love.

But to me? To me Buffy was my world, my support. Without her, everything went back to being a blur. Hugs felt cold and warm smiles felt like an insult. I felt like no one really wanted me there, like they were all just putting up stupid acts of hypocrisy. Spike was always hovering over me, making sure I didn't do something stupid, he was trying to protect me, he said. But I knew he only did it because of Buffy, not because he truly cared for me at all. The others never glanced at me for too long, or at least that's how it seemed to me then. In all honesty they did watch over me, I was just too blinded by my own pain to see that.

Then something happened; something only in my weirdness-plagued life could have happened. Like it was the stuff of legends, Buffy was brought back to life. At first I was so psyched that I failed to notice that my sister had lost all her life, all her spark. She was just blank, hollow. She was not the same Buffy; she was an empty shell, a bad imitation of my sister. I wanted to know why, I wanted her to talk to me, but she was not letting anyone in.

So I just tried to live happily, to convince myself that _was_ Buffy and that eventually it would be alright, that she just needed time to adjust again.

Then it was Tuesday, and everyone was singing.

Heaven. I felt like laughing for some reason, although it wasn't funny at all. I could finally understand all the pain I'd been seeing in her eyes for the past months when she finally came clean. I felt as my chest constricted and I couldn't breathe all of a sudden. I looked at Willow, the mastermind of Buffy's resuscitation. Her eyes had gone wide and glassy: she felt guilty. Willow shouldn't feel guilty, how could she have known? A burning sensation appeared in my eyes and throat, and it lingered. I couldn't see anything, I couldn't think. All I could do was to listen to my sister's heartbreaking song play over and over in my head and I gritted my teeth to hold back tears.

Buffy was burning, spinning in the dance floor, and then suddenly she was in Spike's arms. Buffy was broken, and Spike wanted to fix her, she was lost and needed to be found, she was doomed and had to be rescued…but she shouldn't have to be. Without intending for it, I spoke. The words that came out of my mouth were familiar, she had spoken them to me once, when she said goodbye

"The hardest thing in this word is to live in it"

She looked my way for a fraction of second, but then turned her eyes back to Spike. Then, I heard applause. The demon that caused this mess was applauding Buffy's performance. I glanced back; I hadn't even realized I had stood up.

"Well that was a show-stopping number" He said pleasantly "Not quite the fireworks that I was looking for but-"

"Get out of here…" Willow had interrupted him. Her hands were fisted and she was trembling. She looked quite menacing.

"Hmm, I smell power…" He started getting up and glanced my way "I guess the little missus and I should be on our way"

Giles took a step forward "That's never gonna happen"

The demon let out a small laugh "I don't make the rules" He said, standing next to the chair I was sitting on (God knows why I sat again) "She summoned me"

I hadn't. Honest-to-God I had not summoned a singing demon. But while everyone else talked my mind had run so fast that I felt dizzy. Buffy had offered herself to take my place, and I wasn't letting that happen, not again. I had my mind set. I thought I had made my decision since I spoke without thinking, but now I think the decision was made since Buffy offered herself to the demon.

I don't think a whole second passed from the moment he spoke to when I stood up and took a lance at everyone. I looked at Giles, who seemed confused but determined and was looking at me questioningly. Tara was worried. Willow, I think, was still in shock for what Buffy had just revealed to us. Anya was trying her best to look indifferent, but she couldn't help but furrow her eyes a bit and her eyes had that small tinge she only showed when someone was in trouble. Xander looked extremely uneasy; he didn't know what to do with his hands and opened and closed his mouth a few times. Spike looked angry and Buffy…Buffy looked empty.

When I was standing I composed myself and turned to the demon. "Yes, I did"

"Wha-?"

"How.."

"Why?!"

Their voices sounded hurt, confused. I didn't want to look at their faces.

The demon smiled at me and said. "Say your goodbyes, sweet thing"

I gulped, and with a lump in my throat I turned to them. They were all looking, all worried, all disappointed. But the only face I could see was hers. She was looking at me in disbelief. Then she turned to him and said "I will go instead"

"No." I cut through her phrase in an undertone and then looked her in the eyes "You're done paying for my mistakes…"

Her brows furrowed as she looked at me, finally directly in the eye. Then she could see just how serious I was, and her eyes grew wide. "No…" She said, shaking her head. "I will not let you go to hell…y-you…"

I swallowed my sob as I shook my head with determination. It was decided. I had spent just too long feeling sorry for myself and being rescued by her over and over again. It was my turn. "Goodbye Buffy…"

"Don't-Don't do this…"

I turned away and a red, hot hand took mine. As he turned us into a swirl of light I glanced back at my sister. It seemed like slow motion as she was running to my spot, yelling my name followed by many heartbreaking "NO's". At the time I thought, what harm could I have done? She was alright before I came along.

I knew it would hurt her if I left, I knew it would hurt all the others as well. I didn't do it to hurt them. For the fist time in my life I felt that horrible sense that I had to do the right thing. I had to sacrifice everything for the ones I loved. This must be what Buffy constantly feels.

Gosh, I was such a crybaby. I made a drama whenever I was deprived of attention from everyone, and my sister had sacrificed her time, her strength and her own life for other people.

So this one time, I would save her, I thought. This time, I would be the self-sacrificing hero.

…

By the way, heroism.._Way _overrated.

This was the start of my real problems, the beginning of the end, doomsday, or whatever you want to call it.

Come to think of it, sacrificing herself for me was easy for Buffy. I mean, she just had to die. And she even went to heaven afterwards. I, for my part, was thrust into a living hell. Literally.

How is hell? Well, that depends on your point of view. And the hell dimension you'd want to know about. Turns out that when you die and go to hell (take note: not only mean dead people go to hell, but we'll explore that field later), the hell dimension you go to depends on the kind of bad you did. And each has their own way to torture the soul, all merciless and horrible.

Make a personal note will you? Be good in life. Whatever satisfaction being mean brings you is not worth an eternity of this. Trust me.

I have hopes that someday I will find a way out of this rat hole, but meanwhile, I'll be around

Greetings, from Hell

Dawn Summers

_**Sigh**_

**I feel so much better. It's like I've been freed of this enormous weight! I'm so proud of myself that I finally did this. The main problem with this fic was that I didn't know how to start and that was really getting on my nerves.**

**This is Dawn's thing…she's in hell! Ain't that grand? Must warn you, this will not be a three chaptered corny story with a happy ending. I mean, **_**come on**_**! She's in freakin' hell! Once you're in, it's hard to get out, or so I've heard.**

**Constructive Criticism will be greatly appreciated!**

**Thankee!! =)**

**B Happy**


	2. Chapter 1 The Wives' Wing

Chapter 1

The Wives' Wing

She closed her eyes tightly as she swirled through nothingness. The last images in her head lingered like traces of light in her eyes. A heavy lump planted itself in her throat and her heart threatened to crack open her chest. She wanted to convince herself that it was only a dream, and she would wake up any second. She would wake up and Buffy would make her eat breakfast faster than was healthy so that she could be early for school…but more seconds passed, and everything was still there.

She was being escorted by two wooden men through the long, broad halls of a castle. She was following zombie-like. It was spacious and exquisitely decorated, beautiful without a doubt. Still, there was something about it that made her extremely uncomfortable. For starters, the air was so chilly she could feel it in her bones. The walls were filled with paintings, all about nothing in particular. Even though they were all cheerful and filled with warm, beautiful colors, there was something extremely sad and painful in all of them.

Then there was the music.

She wasn't exactly sure where it came from. At moments it seemed like it was from outside, like every single soul in that world was singing in an eternal choir of sorrow. Then it seemed like it was coming from every room in the castle, like it was in the walls. More accurately, it _felt _like the castle itself was made of music. But suddenly it felt like the music was in her, like it came from the very core of her being, like it burned her soul. It was a thousand songs mingled in a single tune, a song she couldn't figure out. It seemed like a happy song in tune, but the core of it was sad and twisted. It crept over Dawn and filled her from head to foot. It made her feel suddenly exhausted; her body felt heavy and her head was woozy, like she had lived a thousand lifetimes and felt just ready to collapse from tiredness.

The minions led her up a flight of stairs and she was suddenly pulled back into consciousness. She was facing a narrow corridor, so long that she couldn't see where it ended. It was grey and dull and very well lit. On each side there were innumerable doors; simple and rustic wooden doors, all exactly the same. Dawn felt suddenly dizzy and stopped in her tracks. The two men –if they could be called men- turned to look at her with their huge carved eyes.

"What is this place?" Dawn asked with a squeal of a voice (She just realized she hadn't spoken in hours, but just stared blankly ahead)

One of them responded in a monotonous voice "This is the wives' wing."

Dawn raised her eyebrows, confused "The…"

"The wives wing holds the lodgings of the hundred master's wives" "Each woman that in need of a song conjures our master has to come back to his hell and do as he pleases. If he doesn't like her as his queen she lives in town with us."

"You are lucky my master chose you as his newest queen."

"Now we will escort you to your room where another of the wives will make you ready for the wedding"

"Come" They said in unison and continued to walk forward.

A knot formed in her throat as she glanced at all the other doors. Each belongs to a wife, she thought. She felt kind of stupid to thing that she had thought she would be his only queen. _Of course other women have summoned him_, she thought, but at the same time, she felt very relieved that she wouldn't have the demon's "complete attention".

She took a deep breath and followed the wannabe Pinocchios with a sullen resignation. Suddenly she yearned for Buffy; Buffy and her stupid overprotection, Buffy and her constant annoyance at her little sister, Buffy and her heroism. Her sister would rush into the room and save her and then be scandalized at the idea of her sharing wedding vows at fifteen. The old Dawn would have defied the piney pair in front of her; she would have created trouble for herself by insulting them and pretending to be brave when she was really just waiting to be saved again. She would have said "My sister will get you". But she was new Dawn now, the Dawn that had chosen this destiny to save her big sister for the fist time, the Dawn that would put the other cheek when slapped and would take what was to come without complaining.

She pushed a sob down. She wanted to cry. She wanted to cry and kick and scream and be the old Dawn again. But she couldn't. There would be no Buffy this time. It was not a place where Buffy could be. She could not expect to be saved today.

As the string less marionettes led her into her new room, she had a vague thought. It only lasted a second and was discarded even before it was considered. What of not pretending? She could bre brave without being the old Dawn…

-

They opened one of the doors to reveal a spacious chamber. It was dull and simple like the corridor outside; there was a small table with a couple of cushioned chairs on the left and a long sofa on the right. The center was dominated by a large four-posted bed. Dawn stood there staring at the room, suddenly unable to bend her knees.

The minions took her by one arm each and pushed her into the room. "You will be prepared for the vow ceremony by another wife"

They left and closed the door behind them, leaving Dawn alone.

She looked around the room, feeling completely lost. Suddenly, as she examined the walls around her, she felt the weight of what she had done fall over her. The lump in her throat was growing and she let herself fall on the bed and buried her face in a pillow as she allowed the tears she'd been containing tom flow freely. She sobbed softly into the fabric, like letting go of all that had been her.

She had stopped being the overprotected baby sister and was about to become the eternal prisoner of that wacko lord of the dance. It even sounded ridiculous when you said it out-loud. In fact, her whole life sounded ridiculous. She was the unreal "sister" with fake memories of a demon slayer destined to save the world. She had been kidnapped so many times she'd lost count.

She had a dim –and fake- memory of before this whole madness began, before a thirteen-year old Buffy had ran into the house, face pale and eyes wide, and told her parents she'd been attacked by a man with a deformed face and long fangs. Even things after that had been normal in their very special Buffy way of being.

Ah. That was it. The problems had really started when she found out she was the key, and she had faced that horrible identity problem; the worst part about it was that there was no shrink that could help with that because if she told anyone about it, they were sure to be sending her to an institution right away. Things hadn't gotten any better when mom died.

She groaned. _I wish I was still a big swirl of green light _she thought. Surely, big swirls of light didn't have to go through all this, _being human sucks._

Just then, there was a knock on the door. It caught Dawn completely off guard and made her jump and fall off the bed. Seeing as there was no answer, the person on the other side pushed the door open slowly and a woman's head peeked in.

She had beautiful dark brown skin and jet black hair that fell into her shoulders in light waves; she was tall and well built. Dawn admired her with her eyebrows raised. She had an exotic beauty that she had never seen on anyone before, a beauty that stood out even more with the long green dress she was wearing. She made it even more impressive by the way she held herself, all dignified and important.

"You must be the new one" She said.

Dawn struggled to find her voice as she wiped away her tears. The woman sighed and walked towards her with the air of someone who knew what she was doing.

She took Dawn's shoulders, sat her down on the bed and planted herself next to her.

"You don't need to talk, honey" She said as she wiped away Dawn's tears "I know how you feel" The woman created on Dawn such a strong feeling of familiarity and comfort that she felt the weigh in her heart lessen a bit.

"Are you one of them, one of his wives?"

The older woman looked a the girl in the eye –Dawn noticed she had green eyes- and said with a kind of resignation "Yes, I am"

-

**Took me long enough…**

**I have to say, this was hard to write, and I doubt I got it completely right. It was just so hard to imagine Sweet's dimension! In the end, it was my mom who gave me the initiative to make a plain corridor with identical doors. I don't think I'll be writing about the dimension's appearance very much because, come on, it took me a week to write this, and it's not very spectacular…**

**Thanks to you guys who reviewed, I won't give up on this story and I hope you won't either.**

**Please Review! **

**B Happy**


	3. Chapter 2 Delia

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy TVS, any of its characters or plotlines.

"_You don't need to talk, honey" She said as she wiped away Dawn's tears "I know how you feel" The woman created on Dawn such a strong feeling of familiarity and comfort that she felt the weigh in her heart lessen a bit._

"_Are you one of them, one of his wives?"_

_The older woman looked a the girl in the eye –Dawn noticed she had green eyes- and said with a kind of resignation "Yes, I am"_

-

Chapter 2

Delia

"My name is Delia" She said as. She looked to be around 40 years old, but she had the eyes of an old, wise woman, "What is your name, dear?"

Dawn wanted to talk, but she feared if she uttered a sound she would start crying. She swallowed and said in a very small voice "Dawn"

The woman smiled, "That is one beautiful name"

"Thank you" Dawn eyed her carefully "The…the wooden man said you were coming to…" she couldn't say it.

"Yes, but first I want to talk to you a bit" She was apparently trying to lighten the mood, if that was even possible. "How old are you?"

"I'm fifteen"

Delia frowned in response "Fifteen? Goodness, you're a child!" She seemed worried. Dawn looked down at the floor. "What were you doing conjuring up a singing demon?"

Dawn's chin started shaking. She hadn't finished her crying earlier. She began sobbing, her eyes fixed on the floor, incapable of looking Delia in the eye. The woman put her arms around her and said "Oh, I'm sorry. It's alright, you don't have to say anything…" she patted Dawn's back, letting her bury her face in Delia´s shoulder as she began to cry harder. "Shhh. It'll be alright…"

"I-I-I…d-didn't…" Dawn said, choking.

"What was that?"

"I-I didn't" Dawn repeated, her voice muffled by Delia's clothes and distorted by her tears. "I know…I know you didn't mean for this to happen…".This made her cry harder. Delia simply let her cry, knowing perfectly well how she was feeling, understanding her like no one could. She felt bad for having to put Dawn through this. She was way too young, way too innocent.

Dawn was miserable. She choked on her tears, tears that showed no sign to stop. After a while she wondered just how much water she had in her. This couldn't possibly go on forever. She would dehydrate eventually, wouldn't she? She tried to stop herself but all she got was thicker tears and a painful lump in her throat. She couldn't get the images of her friends, her family out of her head. That led her to think about all she wouldn't get to do and she sobbed even harder.

She didn't realize when she stopped crying because she fell asleep in Delia's arms. She woke up not knowing how much time had passed. She guessed it had been a couple of hours but there was no way to be sure. Then again, it could have only been a couple of minutes. Delia was nowhere to be seen, but there was something new in the room.

A tall mirror was standing on the right side. There was an enormous pile of what seemed to be dresses on the sofa, right next to the mirror. Dawn frowned just as the door to her room opened again to reveal Delia, who was carrying about four gowns in her arms. Dawn knew she should go help her, yet she just sat there, staring at the older woman.

She had a feeling she knew why those dresses were there and a new lump was forming in her throat.

Once she'd put the new dresses over the pile, Delia looked at her sadly. "Listen…I know-how hard this all is, but…" She sighed, "I have to prepare you for the wedding…"

Dawn fought back tears again. Was it even possible for her to cry more?

"I'm so sorry, honey…" Delia adopted an impassive expression as she gestured Dawn to join her next to the mirror. "Come, we have to find the right one for you." Dawn got up and reluctantly joined the woman, who was holding two dresses up for her. _This cannot be happening to me…_

Dawn tried on many, many dresses. None of them white. She couldn't bring herself to pick one, or to even compliment one (even though some of them were quite beautiful). She had the feeling that if she did if would be final, that she would sentence herself to spend her life with that singing creep. Delia did not seem to be getting impatient. She simply helped Dawn in and out of dresses, avoiding her eyes. The girl had the sensation that this was hard for her too.

Suddenly, curiosity sprang up on her, making her forget how incredibly miserable she was for a moment. "How long have you been here?" Dawn asked, looking down at the woman who was currently adjusting the hem of the dark green dress the girl was wearing. Delia looked up at Dawn.

"Long enough" She sighed. She'd just struck a chord, and she knew it, but Dawn's annoying habit to ask awkward questions was taking hold of her.

"Why did you do it?" She asked after letting a few seconds pass.

"Do what?"

"Summon him…the-Does he even have a name?" She hadn't even thought of that.

Delia let out the smallest laugh. "Ask _him_ that and he'll say he has a thousand…We call him Sweet, though."

Dawn scoffed "Hardly suits him", Delia smiled more broadly. "So? Why did you?" Dawn insisted. Delia sighed in resignation, realizing there was no way around the question, "I was young and silly…I didn't think my life had enough 'adventure'. I was bored to death with everything: my husband, my parents…It wasn't until I started singing that I realized how much I loved them all, and how much they loved me. Of course, by that time it was way too late." She looked up at Dawn, who was staring at her with such sad eyes it made the older woman turn away to avoid remembering.

"Anyway…I've been here for almost twenty years now,"

Dawn felt a heaviness fall on the pit of her stomach. She felt so sorry for Delia. She could definitely relate to her story; not that she'd ever thought her life was lacking any adventure. Dawn had felt so sick of everything before this happened. She felt like she was misunderstood and uncared for, never realizing how much everyone around her loved her. Not until that last moment, as she was disappearing in a swirl of light, when she saw Buffy's big eyes fill up with tears, wide as plates. She'd seen so much pain in her sister's eyes.

Her own eyes began to burn again, so she pushed those thoughts away from her mind.

Delia was looking up at her once more, "I expect you can relate. I don't think there's any other logical reason to conjure up a singing demon. I mean, why does anyone do a thing like that?..." Delia's eyes were suddenly unfocused as she stared at the green fabric of Dawn's dress.

Dawn looked ahead, thinking about what Delia had just said. Yeah. Why would _anyone _do something that stupid! Conjure up a magical musical… it was completely silly! There are better ways to call attention. Surely, stealing things wasn't the answer either but for the love of God! Only someone either stupid or out of their mind would do that. Specially after reading the instructions. So, why _does_ anyone do a thing like that?...

"I wouldn't know…" whispered Dawn.

"What was that?" Delia said. Apparently Dawn's voice had taken her out of her daydream.

"I said I don't know. I can't find any reasonable explanation for calling up a demon -of any kind-, besides idiocy of course, but I think that's needless to say."

"Well," Delia said calmly "Why did _you_ do it?"

Dawn clenched her jaw and looked away from the older woman, her eyes beginning to swell up once more. "I didn't…"

"You didn't what?"

"I didn't do it…I never summoned Sweet" She said, her voice breaking slightly mid-sentence.

Delia's eyes widened. She seemed to be frozen by shock for a split second and then she got to her feet "What did you just say?" she took hold of Dawn's shoulders.

"I didn't summon Sweet. I had his talisman on –I found it on the floor of a magic shop a friend owns- and that's why he thought I had done it…But…I didn't. I don't know who did…" Dawn groaned as she felt tears run down her cheeks again. She was sick of crying.

Delia was bewildered. Her eyes were open so widely that Dawn felt like they were about to pop out of her head. "And did you tell him that? He has no right to have you here if-if.."

"I can't!" Interrupted the young girl. Despite the tears, she still looked determined. "I won't..."

"But…You don't have to go through an eternity of this. This is horrible. I'll speak for you, I'll tell him…"

"No! Don't! You can't!"

"For heaven's sake child, why would you lie about a thing like this?!"

Dawn looked directly into Delia's eyes through her tears. Another pair of green eyes printed in her memory "I did it for my sister. My sister Buffy…"

-

**I might revise this chapter later. I feel it kind of rushed…what do you think?**

**I'm really sorry for the delay. I know it's been way too long since I've posted.**

**B Happy! =)**


	4. Chapter 3 Expectations

Disclaimer: I do not own BTVS, any of its characters or plotlines. No copyright infringement intended.

"_But…You don't have to go through an eternity of this. This is horrible. I'll speak for you, I'll tell him…"_

"_No! Don't! You can't!"_

"_For heaven's sake child, why would you lie about a thing like this?!"_

_Dawn looked directly into Delia's eyes through her tears. Another pair of green eyes printed in her memory "I did it for my sister. My sister Buffy…"_

_-_

Chapter 3

Expectations

Delia was giving me a weird look. She sat there across from me, eyes wide and bewildered, the dress she'd wanted to put on me next was still on her lap. Her mouth was agape and she hadn't blinked for about five minutes. I shifted uncomfortably. Her shocked stare was beginning to bother me.

I had told her everything.

I told her how my sister was the slayer and she had a witch and a demon for friends, and how I'd found out I wasn't really human, but a mystical key older than Santa Claus. I told her about Glory and the crazy knights and about Ben. I retold the night Glory was planning to use the key in excruciating detail, and how my sister had saved me and died instead of me (which she totally shouldn't have, I added with tears in my eyes). I told her about the Buffybot and Willow and Tara and Spike, and how Willow had made a spell to bring her back to life and she'd had to dig her way up from her grave. How she'd seemed so distant ever since then. I told her everything about my stealing problem and how it had eventually led to me being here. "I wanted to tell her it was a mistake, that I just had the talisman on, but…Buffy. She was going to come in my place and I just couldn't let that happen again. I'm just so tired of being saved, you know?" I said, looking down at my feet, "I'm always the little annoying girl who gets in trouble and had to be rescued. I couldn't let Buffy pay my bills anymore...so I didn't deny it. I hadn't summoned him, but I lied. And that's okay because at least, for once, I did more than was expected of me…"

Delia listened to me ramble on and on for what seemed like hours, I avoided looking at her face, but the few times I peeked, she had the same shocked expression, looking at me like she just couldn't believe my story (it does sound pretty unbelievable, if I say so myself…). I talked and talked. I cried and I laughed while I told this virtual stranger the story of my life, along with some of my deepest, darkest secrets. It was like a therapy. I poured myself out; unable to stop once I'd began.

Growing tired of Delia's silence, I waved a hand in from of her face "Hey!! Hell to Delia, are you still in there?" I asked. Delia's eyes grew glossy, and silent tears began running down her cheeks. Now, this was awkward.

Not quite knowing what to do, I asked stupidly "H-hey…you okay?" she was obviously not, but that's what we do when we see somebody crying or upset: ask stupid questions. Delia's face wrinkled in a wince and she fell on my chest, crying. Now, what was this all about? Wasn't I the one who'd just gotten here, the one who'd retold the heartbreaking tale? Maybe I was much more of a storyteller than I thought…

This would take a while.

The store was closed that whole day. Many came and left disappointed and quite surprised. The store was hardly ever closed; it always had at least one costumer inside, added to the very loud lady that urged them to spend as much money as possible. The regular costumers even knocked on the door but to no avail, and left, wondering why it was empty.

It was, however, not empty at all, but the seven people inside were deaf to outside noise. Two of them had their face buried in books, the eldest was speaking nervously on the phone, and a bleach blond guy (who was actually older than the eldest) was leaning on the counter, looking at the old man pace up and down, his body slowly being trapped by the telephone cable. A blonde woman was shifting nervously in her seat, occasionally pretending to read. She kept looking up at a brunette young man. He was leaning on the table, his hands over his mouth, breathing heavily as if in pain. They all could hear the occasional moans and yells coming from the other room, the training room, where a petite young woman was hitting all she could reach.

She'd been at it for a whole day, nonstop.

They had tried to get her to stop earlier, but that had only resulted in things being thrown at them. She was worse than they'd ever seen her.

If Buffy Summers had ever been broken, it was now.

Her hands were already bruised, but she couldn't bring herself to stop. She couldn't remember when she'd started training. She allowed herself to feel nothing but the leather of her training "punchbag" against her fist. She heard nothing but her own breathing. Her teeth were clenched painfully and her whole body was tense. The second she stopped she could see it again, everything: the stupid demon and the look on Dawn's face as she disappeared, and it felt like a dagger was thrust at her heart, cold and sharp.

All of them had remained frozen for what seemed like an eternity after she vanished. No one knew what to do; no one had expected this to happen. No one even thought possible, even for a second, that they could lose. Let alone that Dawn would be taken away like that. Then Buffy had started bellowing at Willow to do something, to fix it, to bring her back. The redhead, with tears in her eyes, had stumbled that she didn't know what to do, that she was sorry. Willow was still shaken because of the whole Buffy being in heaven thing, she wasn't thinking straight, but the slayer was blinded, she could think of nothing but her sister and how to get her back. She'd taken the witch by the shoulders and shaken her so hard that she'd lost balance afterwards. She tried several spells, none of which worked.

In a whirl of pain, confusion and madness (overall, madness), Buffy raced back to the Magic Shop. The rest of the Scoobies plus Spike found her throwing books all over the shop. She wasn't even reading them; she was taking them and tossing them, as if expecting the answer to just jump at her from one of the pages. They got her to stop, and she told them that there had to be something, somewhere that could possibly help them. Willow and Tara immediately took some books and began leafing through them expertly. The read head was still upset, but she figured after screwing up so badly, she would help out as much as possible. They urged the others to take books too, and they obliged. Xander took a good while to respond. He was still in shock apparently, and had pained expression painted all over his face.

If Willow were to have paid even a little attention to her oldest friend, she would have known in an instant what his look was all about: Guilt.

Giles mumbled something about calling the council and immediately took the phone. If someone knew what to do, it was the council. And Quentin had been exceptionally tame ever since the little incident with Glory last year.

Buffy tried to read, but the image of Dawn as she was taken away kept showing up in the pages. So she ran to the training room and began to hit things.

There was something now, a sound…she couldn't quite make it out. It was like it was in a bottle, and it was saying her name. Over and over again it called her. She knew that voice.

She stopped.

Turning around she found Giles on the door, staring at her with his characteristic worried brow. "Buffy…I've spoken to Quentin" He said in his heavy English accent. His voice was downcast.

"What did they say?" She heard herself speak as if it was a faraway sound, so distant. Her heart was pounding in her ears. She would have liked to have thought it was because of the exertion, but she knew better than that. She could see it in his face; she could read him like an open book. It was not good news he brought.

"Well, there's nothing they can do. They said a demon who can be summoned with this kind of spell, well; it is ancient magic, Buffy. It's something that can't be cheated just like that. If Dawn really summoned that demon, there really is no way around it…or at least, not that simple."

"But she didn't summon him, Giles!" She said desperately, "I know she didn't, I could see it in her eyes."

Giles stared at her for a moment, deliberating. "Buffy, even if that were the case, you would not believe how complicated it would be to travel to that dimension and retrieve Dawn, if we could even find it. Hell dimensions are like a labyrinth, the most complicated one you'll ever come across…"

Buffy's breathing became heavy "What about summoning the demon?"

Giles sighed, "That would only win him another bride. And should you try to kill him once summoned, you would get distracted by the singing spell he wields in our world. Like I said, this is ancient magic we're dealing with; there is no easy way around it…"

"But…"

"Willow and Tara will investigate further; they will try to find a loophole in all of this." Giles interrupted her. Then he said, very carefully, "I must warn you, there is not much hope…"

Tears welled up on Buffy's eyes and she fired up instantly, "What are you saying? That-that I should just give up on her?" She fisted her hands, furious now, "I told you before, Giles, she's my sister, she's my responsibility. I will never stop Giles, even if I have to go down there and kill that stupid demon, I will, Giles I WILL! She is all the family I have left, I HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF HER!"

Her eyes went glossy and wide in a way that only Buffy's eyes did. She stopped suddenly, as if realizing something. Her pained expression broke Giles's heart, and he approached her softly. "I-I h-had to take care of her" she said with a thin voice.

Giles felt a lump on his throat as tears ran down Buffy's cheeks and she began sobbing. He went the last inches and held her. They both collapsed on their knees, Buffy crying profusely, "I…I failed her Giles! I…"

All she had been thinking the last weeks were how she felt so sorry for herself for being pulled off of heaven. She hadn't realized how Dawn was slipping away as well. She was her baby sister; she was supposed to protect her. She'd promised her mother that she would keep her safe…She had failed in so many ways before: as a slayer, as a daughter, as a student, as a girlfriend. But she'd never failed as a sister.

As a slayer, she was expected to be strong, brave, self righteous. She hadn't been all these things the time she'd been back. She was expected to save the day, to save the people she loved.

And she couldn't save Dawn…she couldn't.

* * *

**Thanks so much for reviewing in my last chapter (hope you do it again! =)).**

**This took me a long time to post just because I am so laaaazy. And because of the holidays: I enjoyed a whole month of simply not thinking. Hope you guys had a great Christmas and wonderful New Year parties (Woooo! Raise the roof!). Anyways, I'll bee back at school in under a week so I decided to post this before that happened.**

**As you can see, both Dawn and Buffy feel guilty, each in their own very special way. I decided to write this chapter's Dawn bit in first person because it just sounded better, but this won't be forever…**

**R&R (I'm a sucker for reviews, they keep me writing)**

**B Happy =)**


	5. Chapter 4 The Tears

_**Disclaimer: I do not own BtVS. Never have, never will. No copyright infringement intended.**_

Chapter 4

The Tears

Two days had passed (or, at least, that was what it felt like). Wedding preparations were being made, and Dawn was beginning to dread it was really going to happen. She'd been denying it to herself, still expecting someone to show up and save her in the back of her mind. Delia was yet to explain why she had broken into tears when Dawn had told her why she had lied to Sweet. She had cried it all out and then suddenly sat up, her eyes ablaze. "You will be alright Dawn," she had said, "I will make sure of that."

When Dawn had inquired what she meant by that she'd told her it better remain unspoken until further notice. Then she began fitting the next dress on Dawn quietly as if their little exchange had never happened. Dawn had ultimately chosen a red dress. It was, much to Dawn's dismay, quite beautiful. It was detailed in black with beautiful patterns and it clung to her upper body in a corset fashion, making her look older.

Dawn was left alone for hours on end. She had time to think about a lot of things, especially things she didn't want to think about. She tried not to ponder on the oncoming event, knowing for sure that she did not want to get married, yet she did not want to think about Buffy and the scoobies either. She could only imagine what a hard time Buffy was having right now. She vaguely wondered who had really summoned Sweet. Had it been one of the scoobies? _It might as well have been Willow, _she thought. _She was all worried about Buffy not being happy._ The witch might have wanted Buffy to cheer up with some music. Dawn couldn't really blame her if that were the case. The slayer had lost all of her former persona in death. She herself would have summoned Sweet had she found out about him earlier.

Of course, that would have led her exactly where she was now.

What would she do now? Was she supposed to just let things go their way? Get married, have little demon kids with Sweet? She cringed at the though. She didn't want to see herself like Delia, in her 40's and resigned to a life of slavery. Yet she could think of nothing to do. There were puppets everywhere…the castle was a fortress, so running away wasn't an option. And even if she were to flee the castle, she would still be trapped in his maniac musical dimension. She was trapped.

Forever.

She cursed to herself as she felt tears burning in her eyes yet again. She was startled by the door creaking open and a puppet suddenly came into the room carrying a tray of food for her. She turned her back to him, not wanting him to see her crying. She didn't really know if the puppets had a mind of their own, but they still made her feel uncomfortable.

When the puppet opened the door to go out again, she heard a chorus of female voices speaking in loud whispers. She peeked her head into the hall, and glimpsed a group of women gathered a few doors down. They had their heads so close together she couldn't see any faces, and they were speaking in hushed tones. Were those the other wives? She went a little more out the door and they noticed her. They looked at each other and then walked away in a sort of dignified attitude. _Way to be jealous…_

Once the women had disappeared into one of the rooms, Dawn ventured into the hall, suddenly curious. She walked back the way the puppets had taken her on her first day here. If she had any hope of finding her way back if lost, going the same way she'd gone was her best shot. She had barely passed the tenth door when a voice called after her.

"Dawn, what do you think you're doing?" She turned to find Delia staring at her in disbelief. Se let out a sort of hushed yell, "Get back here this instant!"

Taken aback and a little offended, Dawn obliged. _Who are you to give me orders?_, were the words that crossed her mind, but she bit her tongue, keeping in mind the predicament she was currently in. They got into the room and Delia closed the door behind her. "What were you thinking, venturing out of your room like that?!"

"I was just…curious…" She said, holding back an impulse to bark back at Delia. She simply did not see how this was so serious.

"Are you crazy? We are not allowed to wander the castle on our own! We can only leave this ward if _he _wants us to…If you'd been caught, that would have been the end of you!"

Dawn swallowed, "He would have killed me just for running around the castle?"

"You wish! He would have sent you to the dungeon. No one that's been there has returned _sane_." said Delia gravely.

"He sends his own wives to the dungeons?" Dawn exclaimed in disbelief.

Delia sighed, "Oh, dear…Sweet may seem charming, and sometimes even…_sweet, _but believe you me: he is the farthest thing from an ideal husband."

Then Dawn saw something in Delia's eyes. It was the darkest, saddest of looks. She'd only seen that thousand yard stare in one person before: Buffy. It made her cringe to think just what kind of life the older woman had had in this madhouse, how much suffering, how much pain she'd been through. Had Delia ever been to the dungeon herself?

"Anyway…" Delia cut in, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "You don't have to know that, do you? No, you most certainly don't have to…"

Dawn furrowed her brows at Delia. Was she finally getting the answer to her question?

"But first, we should put you in your wedding dress!" She said as she made her way to the hanger where Dawn's red dress hung waiting.

"What!?"

"Well, one can't attend a party without a proper gown, right?" Delia had gone back to being impassive. She'd been acting this way since she'd broken into tears and said incoherencies.

Dawn was sick of it.

"Alright, stop! Stop it…" Delia paid no attention whatsoever. So she decided it was screeching time "I SAID STOP!"

Delia turned to her, bewildered.

"You've been acting so disgustingly placid this whole time, like my wedding to this freak was something to celebrate when on the first day you were so worried about me! And now that you seemed to have finally gone back to your former self you just shake it off! What is wrong with you? First you give me hope that you might get me out of here, then you ask me to_ put on my wedding dress_!" Dawn was crying halfway though the speech, and by the end of it, thick tears were falling down her cheeks and dropping all the way to the floor. "If you're not gonna help me…if-if you're gonna let me marry Sweet, then just say so!"

"No, Dawn…" Delia approached me with this hand held out, apparently meaning to soothe me.

"NO! I had accepted this! I had already decided this is what I had to do, and then you…you said I would be alright after saying I would _never_ be alright here and I thought…I though.." _I thought I was going to get rescued again…_ Dawn fell to her knees and hugged herself, unable to hold the sobs that fought their way through her throat. How much had she cried in the last couple of days? She'd long lost count of her tears. Se couldn't remember feeling this dry, not even when her dad left, not even when Buffy died. And yet the tears kept coming. Delia's arms wrapped around her and she found it useless to push her off. What good would it do?

"Shhh, calm down…try to breathe…" To her dislike, Dawn found a unique comfort in Delia's arms, and her crying eventually gave way. Yet she did not break apart from Delia, not did the latter let her go. She held her and stroked her hair comfortingly. It reminded her so much of her sister, she did not want to let go, she wanted to sty like this forever. Imagining it someone else's hand caressing her hair softly; she could almost see her…

"I'm sorry," when Delia spoke the illusion was broken, and Dawn was forced back to, well, hell. "I know I have been evasive, but…I just wanted to make sure everything was in place before telling you…"

Dawn drew back to look at Delia's face. "Tell me what?"

Delia's eyes seemed to burn under the candlelight, "I think I may have found a way for you to get out of here..."

-

She was sick of crying. She cried when she was in the shower, just before she fell asleep in bed and when she was cooking….She tried to distract herself with anything she could get her hands on: books, movies, even board games. But the dark thoughts always eventually crept into her mind. She'd gotten to the point of crying to _All about Mary_. Just when she thought she was done, she felt that lump on her throat again.

Willow was tired of crying.

She was sick of feeling guilty, and of not being able to do anything about it. Usually when she wronged something she sought to make it right. She was used to facing up to her demons…quite literally. But Giles and Quentin had made it crystal clear: there was nothing to be done. Dawn was lost forever. She tried to make herself feel better about that, but horrid thoughts crossed her mind that made her feel even guiltier. Thoughts like 'She's not even real to begin with'. She'd felt so disgusted with herself she's locked herself up in the bathroom to cry. Again.

Tara had done some crying herself, but mostly hidden on corners and dark places. Giles had shed a single tear in front of them and then excused himself and ran off to the Magic Box's bathroom. Anya hadn't cried (or she had no evidence of it), but it was very obvious the loss had taken its toll on her. She now managed the magic box with a lot less enthusiasm. Xander had slipped out quietly after Giles' explanation, and he had not been heard of or seen by any of the scoobies. It didn't surprise Willow all that much. He seemed to be in shock when it all happened. After all, it was his Dawnster that disappeared.

But what was really killing her was Buffy. She had not cried since that day, she had not done anything to very Buffy-like. She woke up every morning, made breakfast, and went to a job she'd gotten at some stupid fast food restaurant. She did not speak about Dawn at all. In fact, she barely even spoke. It was like she was on stand by. She had shut herself up from the world in hopes of escaping. She was avoiding all feeling, she was numb. And that scared Willow to death.

Had they lost Buffy? Had she gone to her limit? She'd always thought that there would come the day when the slayer got a glassful. She was fading away for real now. She'd lost her sister, and with her she'd lost herself.

Willow got up from the couch, finally deciding the magazine was doing her no good. With these thoughts in mind she went up to her room….to Joyce's room. She curled up in a ball on the bed and…

…she cried.

-

**I'm terribly sorry for the HUGE delay. I was so determined to get this done earlier. I am a procrastinator to my very bones. I'm trying to change it (no luck so far U_U). I hope you guys haven't given up on me. I know this story can come out real nice!**

**R&R**

**B Happy =)**

**P.S. I'm soooo soo sorry!**


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